


The Only Award that Matters

by sunshinetina



Category: Football RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-17
Updated: 2014-07-17
Packaged: 2018-02-09 07:51:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1974846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshinetina/pseuds/sunshinetina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Argentina lose to Germany at the World Cup 2014 final in Brazil. Leo feels awful and blames himself. And as always, Kun is there to console him and help him realise there are much more important things in life and much more special awards that truly matter.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Only Award that Matters

**THE ONLY AWARD THAT MATTERS**

_Kun’s POV_

I opened the fridge to take out the bottle of cold water I have already put there earlier that day but when I did, I realised it was the _only_ thing there. No sign of all the rum, the whiskey, all the other alcohol left for after the game. Looked around the room and my attention was caught by the small black phone on Leo’s bed. Then something clicked in my mind – he was out, he was drinking, he consciously left his phone in the room, in order not to be disturbed.

 

I took both jackets – mine and his, and ran out of the room and the hotel as fast as possible. Everything was quiet and ten minutes ago it smelt of disappointment and pain. Now it all was screaming _Find Leo_.

 

I was running but the leg was starting to hurt. I cursed and started running more, it was already throbbing. I didn’t want to but I stopped to take a breath and then I heard the specific sound of a ball touching the net with a high speed. I instinctively walked down to one of the football pitches around the hotel and finally saw the tiny figure – with a bottle in his right hand and doing several steps behind the ball, kicking it suavely with his left foot, and scoring a goal against no goalkeeper. _Qué grande!_ Leo laughed at himself, and drank to that, coughing a bit before moving to take the ball out of the net.

 

‘Here you are…’ he froze for a second, then I heard him chuckle and shake his head. I sighed and approached him, ‘You scared me.’

 

‘Will there be a day when you’ll stop chasing me?’ Leo hugged the ball with his left hand and started looking for the perfect spot for his improvised free kick.

 

‘Leave the bottle, Leo,’ I gulped when he passed by me, my nostrils catching to thick smell of alcohol.

 

‘Leave _me_ , Agüero.’

 

My surname said by him caused a lump in my throat but I bit my lower lip.

 

‘It’s cold, Leo, please take the jac-‘

 

‘ _Mierda!_ ’ Leo threw the ball away and took a large sip from the whiskey bottle in his hand, ‘Just leave me. I don’t need anyone. After all, it has always been like that – the ball and me. I don’t need you.’

 

It hurt. Not because he was saying that – I was perfectly aware he was just being impulsive. It hurt because I just realised how terribly _I_ needed _him_ in this very moment. _Always_.

 

‘I know it is painful but-…’

 

‘No,’ Leo shook his head again and clicked his tongue, ‘No, Sergio, it is _not_ painful. It is the _end_.’

 

I bit my lip again and moved closer to him, trying to help him put his jacket on. Instead, he slapped my hand and turned around to face me. Immediately lowered his gaze.

 

‘Leave me, Kun,’ and then I saw it – he has been crying. The dimmed lights in the distance lit his little face and I caught the sparkles of the tears on his cheeks, ‘I want to be alone.’

 

‘I am proud of you, Lionel Messi, you know that?’

 

He laughed, still looking at his toes, ‘You are not and we all know it.’

 

‘Fine. Tell me why I am _not_ proud of you.’

 

He shrugged, ‘I failed the entire team, the entire nation,.. _you_.’

 

‘When was that?’

 

He smirked and looked aside, trying not to laugh. Now I saw the tears a bit better, ‘Why are you here?’

 

‘Because I need you.’

 

Once again, he shook his head, ‘I am a wreck. They tell me I am the greatest, but I am not.’

 

‘Of course you are not. _I_ am!’

 

He finally laughed and gave me the bottle with a shrug. Lifted his dark eyes at me.

 

‘I love you, Leo, you know that?’

 

‘You never ever stop repeating it, _chico_ ,’ he continued smiling – that baby-like smile of his, which was making me long for a kiss, for a breath, for… ‘I don’t want you to leave.’

 

‘I know,’ I smiled and he pointed at the ball but I shook my head, ‘My leg hurts. Let’s go to our room, hm?’

 

 

_Leo’s POV_

When we entered the room and I heard Kun throwing the bottles in the bin, I rolled my eyes and clicked my tongue.

 

‘This is such an awful waste of alcohol, Agüero.’

 

He smirked as I sat on the desk nearby, gently putting all his hair-gels aside.

 

‘I _am_ proud of you, Leo,’ I smiled again and shook my head, then I looked down and started nervously playing with my fingers. Kun had always had this effect on me – one compliment, just _one_ compliment, and I instantaneously felt my cheeks burning and my heart pounding loudly in my chest. I have been hearing thousands of beautiful words about myself and initially I was thrilled, of course, but with time, the constant compliments started passing by and I slowly became used to them. But never _ever_ did I get used to hearing Kun’s compliments, to hear the way he pronounced my name – like the most cherished word ever leaving his mouth. And the effect all his words had on me. Unbelievable, but a fact. He was the younger one, we were adults now, but I was still a child whenever I was with him.

 

‘You’ve already mentioned that, Kun. We lost the final, I had my chances and I didn’t use them and-…’

 

‘And?’

 

‘And we lost.’

 

‘And?’

 

‘What, Kun? We had the hopes of millions crashing down after that final whistle.’

 

‘Life doesn’t end with that, Leo,’ here it is. _Leo_. The talk was serious and desperate and full of sadness, but just one _Leo_ and my stomach was tingling, ‘That’s not everything.’

 

 _You_ _are everything_ , I wanted to shout, but then he smiled, and I felt the lump in my throat, making me divert my eyes from his. I coughed a bit and stood up, slowly walking towards my bed. I didn’t realise it, but there were tears starting to form in the corners of my eyes.

 

‘Leo, look at me,’ I gulped and lifted my bedsheet. But Kun’s hand on my shoulder made me shake my head once again, trying to get rid of the tears. Next thing I felt was his chin on my other shoulder and his breath hitting my ear, ‘You have always been, are, and will always be the best footballer, friend, person. You cannot make Argentina a World Cup champion on your own. You did your best but-…’

 

‘That’s not you, Kun. That’s Masche, Sabella, Eze, all the rest, but not you. You know I don’t want to hear that.’

 

‘What do you want to hear?’ his breath moistened my earlobe and I half-closed my eyes, trying to breathe properly.

 

‘ _You_ ,’ as I said that, I could clearly distinct his smile on the crook of my neck. Our breaths mixed and I felt his lips touch the back of my head.

 

‘I was sitting there, on the bench, after I got injured. Every single Argentina game. And Leo… _Leo_ , it is so wonderful to play with you, but do you know what is to _watch_ you play from so close? To see how suavely you play with that ball, how you pass, how you trick everyone, how you score?’ I smiled and bit my lower lip. Here we go – being the child I was with Kun only, ‘The most beautiful sight in the world.’

 

‘I wanted to play with you so much, Kun.’

 

‘I know, Leo. Me too. I barely contained myself after the final whistles of each game.’

 

‘You know, against Belgium… There were some extra minutes in the second half, my left thigh was hurting, and then I thought: _Just several more minutes and Kun will make the pain go away_.’

 

He laughed in my neck and I chuckled back.

 

‘Remember when you were injured but didn’t say anything to anyone, even to me? And then I heard you groan painfully in your sleep and I took my trainers and jacket, and ran out and practically dragged the doc out of his room to check you?’

 

I felt the awkward blush covering my cheeks – the pink shade turning into dark red. My heart was racing, remembering every single moment of that memory.

 

‘Do you remember that?’

 

I nodded and gulped. His right hand moved over my back and started making gentle movements up and down while his chin was still on my left shoulder.

 

‘ _Yo-… Yo lo recuerdo, sí_.’

 

I felt him smiling once again, then burying his head in my neck, still massaging my back. We both laughed quietly.

 

‘I remember the doctor gave me a gel to apply on my injured thigh but you insisted to do it yourself and-…’ I stopped. The memory caught me breathless and I had to stop talking to regain my posture. Kun placed yet another light kiss on the back of my neck and stepped back.

 

‘I can make _this_ pain go away as well,’ Kun laughed, occupying himself with the bags once again. After all, we were soon to leave Brazil. The aching feeling of the loss hit me again. I sighed and sat on my bed, covering my legs with the bedsheet, ‘I say we use our free time tomorrow to have a nice promenade around Rio – undercover, of course… Although I don’t mind everyone spotting me with Lionel Messi, but-…’

 

I smirked and then laughed when he rolled his eyes and made a theatrical performance of how touched he would be if something like that happens.

 

‘So, yeah. We go around this damn city, no one cares about us anyway – well, about you, genuinely, but about Kun-…’

 

‘ _I_ care about you.’

 

‘First of all, I am talking about us _two_ going out. Second, the only thing I haven’t done to show your love is to write a billboard in the centre of Rosario saying _Te amo, Leo_. I show you I care about you; you, however…’

 

I grinned. Just hours ago I wanted to bury myself in a hole, together with all my four Ballon d’Ors.

 

‘First of all,’ I stood up and tried to imitate him but he shook his head with a serious face and folded his arms in front of his chest, ‘are you sure you haven’t written a poster in Rio, though? I think I caught a few in the audience some hours ago. And it was definitely not Anto.’

 

‘Not saying I am jealous but…’ he leaned forward and whispered, ‘I’ll cut their writers.’

 

I laughed again and he clicked his tongue, trying to remain dead serious. I shrugged.

 

‘Although, you are right. _Te amo_ is too vague for you. Maybe, _te qui-_ …’

 

‘You are playing with fire, Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini,’ I laughed loudly and he sighed.

 

Chuckling, I still continued, ‘Second of all, _I_ don’t care about _you_?’

 

‘No, you don’t.’

 

‘Sure?’ I licked my lips and he nodded, still staying calm.

 

‘What about _Mi Historía_ ’s intro?’

 

‘Could have been better.’

 

‘Ha?’

 

He was starting to smile but coughed to hide it. I chuckled at his posture – still fakely serious, with arms across his chest.

 

‘What about me practically begging every single coach we have ever had every single time to make us roommates?’

 

‘That’s because the others are boring.’

 

‘Not quite. They are boring _for me_ ,’ I smiled and he lifted an eyebrow. Saw his lower lip tremble a bit, ‘You know pretty well only _you_ can make me laugh, Kun.’

 

‘Well, I am not trying to.’

 

‘That’s even better. You don’t have to _try_ to make me laugh – you just do it. Everything about you makes me laugh.’

 

‘Hm? So…’ he pouted and clicked his tongue, ‘I am so pathetic, you are laughing at me?’

 

‘No. Nooooo…’

 

At the middle of my whining and his waving his hands in the air in a ‘I am giving up on you’-way, I caught his smirk and realised it. All this dumbness and this whole absolutely naïve situation had just one goal – to make me forget the loss.

 

‘I am not laughing at you, Kun,’ I rubbed my eyes and saw him slightly smiling. _Every time you are talking about your feelings towards me, you get bashful and rub your eyes, Leo._ I chuckled, realising that what he had once told me was the absolute truth, apparently, ‘I am not laughing at you. I am _admiring_ you.’

 

‘I know I am marvelous,’ he smirked.

 

‘No, not like-…’ I rubbed my eyes again. Damn it, ‘I just-… How do you make it?’

 

‘What?’

 

‘Make me forget about everything?’

 

He shrugged and finally let his hands fall around his body, then smiled, ‘I guess _I_ just _want_ you to forget everything. And plus, when you smile, I-…’

 

‘Hm?’

 

‘When you smile, _you_ make _me_ forget about everything…’ we both went silent for a minute, ‘Don’t you think I haven’t cried too, Leo? I tore my eyes apart in the dressing room, but then… Then I saw how you tried to hold it and talked to the boys and I-… I just know you, no? I know you tried to be strong for everyone out there but you were crushing inside. And I thought-… I _had_ to pick myself up and not let you crush entirely. And when I saw you out there, drinking-… I don’t want to see that, Leo, ever. I want to see you smile. Always.’

 

‘Only _you_ can make me smile.’

 

‘That’s not true.’

 

‘Well, Thiago too,’ we both smiled, ‘Would we _ever_ win the World Cup, Kun?’

 

‘Yes, Leo, we will. You’ve won my heart, what’s a World Cup?’

 

We laughed loudly and I rubbed my eyes again.

 

‘Then, don’t you _ever_ say you haven’t won anything so important, Agüero. Because, following your logic, you have won _my_ heart as well.’

 

‘Hm, and when was that?’

 

‘I was 15, it was a friendly game, and you didn’t have to be there because you were younger than all of us, but I opened my door and you were there – with all your luggage and the big bags.’

 

‘You slammed the door right in my face.’

 

‘We lost, I was devastated. Everyone said _you did your best, Leo, you are the greatest_ , but I wanted to burn myself. And then you did not give up – came to my room through the window, and told me _aghhh, I could’ve done it better, but I am so proud of you anyway, and you’ll destroy them next time_ , and then joked about my hair-…’

 

‘It was hideous.’

 

‘And…’ I laughed upon his remark, ‘And you unexpectedly made me laugh.’

 

‘I remember. You rubbed your eyes when I said _you will be the best one day, Leo, and you’ll win at least five fucking Golden Balls even before you are 25_ , then smiled. And I lost it.’

 

‘Lost what?’

 

‘I just fell for your smile,’ he shrugged, ‘And here we are – more than 10 years later. Me still making you laugh and you still rubbing your eyes and shyly smiling upon my idiotism.’

 

We both laughed and I involuntarily rubbed my eyes once again, ‘That was when I realised that there’s only one person in my life I would always want to be with.’

 

‘Then came Thiago.’

 

‘Made it two.’

 

We grinned at each other and interlocked our eyes.

 

‘I promise you, Kun, I’ll win that Cup. I’ll win it for you.’

 

‘Just, when you do… Don’t kick me out of bed to sleep with it.’

 

‘You said you weren’t jealous?’ I smiled slightly.

 

‘I’ll want you all for myself the night when that happens.’

 

‘So…’ I bit my lip, ‘If we have won tonight…’

 

‘Well,’ he interrupted me with a mischievous smile, ‘You would have been moaning because of something else rather than the TV noise.’

 

We both laughed. Always has been like this, since we were kids – him making such ‘naughty remarks’ (as he called them) and me falling for them.

 

‘I wanted to win it tonight, though. I wanted us both to lift it up and kiss it. I wanted-…’

 

‘ _Yo sé, Leo_. Me too. But life is like that, I told you: you can’t have everything. Look at me – compared to you, I haven’t won… Well, _almost_ nothing. But I have Benja, I have you… And that’s all that matters. Right?’

 

‘Right,’ I smiled and approached him. I got a bit on my tiptoes and hugged him tight, pressing my chin at his shoulder.

 

‘I know I am always right.’

 

We both smiled and stayed like this for almost a minute.

 

‘Nah, I was wrong for one thing, though.’

 

‘Hm?’

 

‘About the _five Golden Balls_.’

 

I shook my head, causing a friction between our cheeks. Then smiled, loudly exhaling and returning him all those kisses on the back of the neck. Caught his spine tense, then suddenly relaxing with a slight shiver.

 

‘No, Kun, you were right. I won five times.’

 

We both went silent and I moved back, looking straight at him. Instinctively raised my hands to rub my eyes, but laughed and cupped his face instead, pressing our foreheads against each other. He melted in a smile, his chocolate eyes making me immediately blush once again. I knew I would stutter.

 

‘I-… I won it five times. The first was when I met you.’

 

His smile went even wider and for the first time _he_ was the one going red and biting his lower lip.

 

‘You are right about that, _Kunito_. But you were wrong about one not being able to have everything. I do. I _already_ have everything. Screw the awards, screw the World Cup. It’s Thiago and my family that matter. It’s the promenade we’ll take around Rio tomorrow. But as for tonight…’ I pressed our foreheads even harder against each other. Caught his breath tingling my face and moistening my lips, ‘Tonight it’s just you that matters. You and me. And that’s _everything_ , Kun. That’s my fifth Golden Ball, my World Cup, my-… _You_ are my award. Award that no one else would _ever_ have.’

 

‘Guess you really are the best then, huh?’

 

I smiled. Even in a moment like that, he made me chuckle. His cheeks were burning and he coughed.

 

‘The remote control is still mine, though.’

 

‘If you find it,’ I waved my hands and he sighed, rolling his eyes. Stepped towards me and I tripped, falling on my bed once again, ‘No, Sergio, no, stop it!’

 

‘Give it!’

 

He was tickling me and my laughter was probably heard throughout the entire hotel. Then he stopped and the only thing one could hear were our loud breathings amidst all the chuckles. He was on top of me, our legs intertwined and him cupping my face while our noses touched slightly.

 

‘I hid it because I thought it won’t be necessary _tonight_.’

 

He smiled and leaned forward, placing a kiss on my forehead. I hugged his waist and he moved his lips towards my earlobe.

 

‘I am planning a 10x10 metres poster in Rosario, though,’ he tickled me again and I laughed, hugging him closer, ‘Or even bigger. Because I have a loooooot of love to express to you.’

 

‘Do you?’ he tickled me once again and I grinned. He relaxed all his body weight over me and sighed, then laughed.

 

‘Look at us, Leo. We are like an old couple.’

 

‘Although I haven’t imagined it quite like that, I’ve been waiting for that proposal for more than 10 years, Agüero,’ we both laughed for several seconds.

 

‘I am taking your surname, though – much more prestigious,’ I rolled my eyes and puffed.

 

‘ _Tomátela!_ You’ve already taken everything else…’

 

‘Oh, and I intend to-…’ he lifted himself up and grabbed the two remote controls for FIFA, starting up the game, ‘Take even more, _amorcito_.’


End file.
